


where honor is a distant memory

by Beb



Category: Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence - Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Hurt Loki (Marvel), Hurt/Comfort, Loki & Tony Stark Friendship, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Loki (Marvel) Feels, Loki (Marvel) Has Issues, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki Gets a Hug (Marvel), M/M, Men Crying, Protective Tony Stark, Temporary Character Death, Thor is a Good Bro (Marvel), Tony Stark Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-17 10:33:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29840196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beb/pseuds/Beb
Summary: After things settled down; Thanos was defeated and everyone returned — everyone except Loki — Thor gave his brother a funeral.Meanwhile, Tony got himself an unexpectedly new friend.
Relationships: Loki & Thor (Marvel), Loki & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 3
Kudos: 121





	where honor is a distant memory

**Author's Note:**

> An AU where Tony lives after Endgame but was never with Pepper. Natasha lives, too. Steve isn't an old man and never leaves Bucky behind. Though the story will center more around Tony than the rest. Can be a little hint to Frostiron but the most focused plot will be about Loki and Thor. Or, equally Loki and Thor's brotherhood, and Loki and Tony's unlikely friendship.
> 
> Title is from Jared Leto's Joker quote from Zack Snyder's Justice League; _'We live in a society where honor is a distant memory,' _because I'm a proud fan of the character and of Jared in general.__

The funeral went by in quiet and cold atmosphere. Not too many people attended; just Thor and Thor's friends (mostly because, the thought still gave Thor a pang in his chest in which he tried not to think about it altogether, Loki didn't really have any friends of his own) assembling around in New Asgard, precisely at the place where Odin took his last breath. 

There was no body. Loki's body — of course, just by thinking about it, too, gave Thor a more severe pang in his chest it almost made him grimace — was never found. Gone just like Loki. Was still somewhere, alone in the dark, vast space.   
_Would he be scared? _Ever since childhood, Loki had always been afraid of the dark, and of being alone.__

__Thor physically shook his head. The thoughts were breaking him down and he couldn't have that; couldn't afford breaking down while the ceremony was still going on. He could, and would, sink to his knees and weep. But it would have to be later, when he was alone in the solitary of his own room._ _

__And no, Loki wouldn't be scared. At least not anymore. Because Loki was dead. Loki was dead and was incapable of any feelings at all. He was just gone, utterly erased out of existence.  
Thor didn't even know whether Valhalla was real or if it was another bedtime story made to offer closure to those who lost their loved ones, for all that Thor knew was his brother wasn't here with him where Thor needed him to be. He was lonely and he wanted Loki here, but Loki was dead, died saving him on Statesman and all he could do was repeat the same sentence over and over again like a broken record in his troubled mind, _'It should've been me,' _____

____"Buddy?" Tony tapping him lightly on the shoulder brought Thor out of his trance. He blinked away the tears in his eyes — both the real one and the artificial one — before turning to face his friend.  
(Thor was grateful Tony and the rest were here. Since most of his Asgardian allies weren't around anymore, and he knew the Avengers weren't technically Loki's friends, if not outright enemies. They were all here, dressing in black, mostly for Thor's sake, but the truth was they didn't have to. So Thor was thankful nonetheless)_ _ _ _

____"You okay?" Tony sounded concerned._ _ _ _

____"I'm fine," Thor said with a forced smile, and knew Tony knew it was a lie. "I appreciate you being here, you and Steve and everyone," he added and that, at least, wasn't a lie._ _ _ _

___________________________________ _ _ _

____A magpie perched on a tree nearby, watching the ceremony below with curious eyes. Its feathered head cocked towards Thor for a long while before its gaze traveled to Captain Rogers, then Sergeant Barnes, then Agent Romanoff, then Barton, then Doctor Banner. It stopped at Tony Stark._ _ _ _

___________________________________ _ _ _

____The ceremony ended by Thor simply standing there accepting the sympathy embrace each people offered._ _ _ _

____"Thank you for coming," he said, only loud enough that it was audible. Captain Rogers gave his shoulder a light pat before moving on._ _ _ _

____Tony was the last to give Thor a hug. He held on just a little bit longer than necessary, but Thor never pulled away._ _ _ _

___________________________________ _ _ _

____Loki watched in safe distance as his brother drown himself in grief and alcohol. The latter being what bothered Loki the most. He never liked it when Thor got himself intoxicated. He liked it even less when Thor got himself intoxicated in the wake of grief that was because of him._ _ _ _

_____You did this, _a voice whispered in Loki's head. _Look what you've done. Thor was supposed to lead New Asgard, and now he's ruined, because of you. ______ _ _ _

________He had an urge, so many times Loki had an urge, to reveal himself to Thor. He never knew how. He was... damaged. Thor was better off without him holding him down.  
Because how many times it'd happened; Loki faking his death then reappearing in Thor's life just when Thor was about to move on, just after Thor had mourned him. It wasn't fair for Thor. He deserved something, someone, better._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Thor was better off without him. And Loki just had to let him go, or die trying._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He sighed and, in a body of a magpie, flew away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Thor looked up at the spot on the tree, through the window, where he, from the corner of his eye, thought he saw a shadow moving. Spark of hope lit up somewhere in his sorrowful heart, it melted away like ice when he learned there was nothing there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Thor doubted he would ever stop hoping to see Loki whenever he saw shadows moving and turned to look._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The funeral attendance didn't immediately leave after the ceremony was over. After all, it was a long flight from Norway back to America for them, that coupled with the storm that delayed everything. So Thor offered them all a place to stay._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The cottages they each were given weren't that big nor was it luxurious like a five-stars resort. But it was still nice. After everything that'd happened, Tony thought, he could use any form of vacations he'd never really had. To just sit down and enjoy the nature. Maybe read a book or two before going back to his busy life, yes, that would be nice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It started to rain after three hours into the nighttime. The lightning strike shaking the little house snapped Tony's attention away from his book, and Tony had no idea whether or not the pouring rain had something to do with Thor's mood. Though he'd just realized his window was open, thus strong wind was bringing leaves and mud and rain into his residence._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tony got off his seat to close it. He was closing the window when something unexpectedly flew right into his face. Which, judged by personal experience where an ambush was always a possibility, Tony was about to summon his Iron Suit when he took a look at what exactly attacked him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________It was a bird. A magpie. It landed on a wooden table in the cottage not far away from Tony, its feathers were soaked in rain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Huh," Tony did not expect a visitor, but it was pretty clear the bird needed a shelter. He eventually closed the window, with his eyes never leaving the bird and without chasing it away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The magpie looked at him, cocking its head to the side. It chirped and hopped two steps forward, then it tilted its head again, to the other direction._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"I didn't even know magpies are common here," Tony said aloud._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________The magpie chirped back and, if he didn't know any better, Tony might have thought they were talking. But for Christ's sake it was a bird, it couldn't respond. If anything Tony was the one talking to a bird. He sighed, then proceeded to continue, "I take it you're not a fan of the rain, huh? Need a place to sleep in?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Again, the magpie made that noise from its throat, fluttering its wings._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________"Right, you're all wet," he pauses for a breath or two, then, "Wait here."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tony went to fetch his little guest a towel to dry its feather off, then he felt somewhat silly, because _'Do birds even use towels?' _Or _'Will it freaking bite you, if you touch it?' _Tony never really had a pet, all his life it'd always been work. He didn't know how to properly deal with a dog, he was certainly clueless when it came to a stray bird._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________He sighed and went back to the living room with the towel regardless. The magpie was still there, and it looked at him. "Chill," Tony said, holding out the towel like the fucking bird would know what it was. "Just to dry you off so you don't freeze to death, alright?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony carefully approached. The magpie hopped backward a little, but it didn't start flying, so that was, Tony guessed, somewhat a good sign._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony was gentle when he wrapped the creature in the fluffy piece of cloth. It shrieked anyway, and it began pecking fiercely at Tony's fingers with its beak. But Tony didn't let go, and soon it stopped fighting when it realized Tony wasn't hurting it. If anything Tony simply held it against his chest, and it sought that warmth Tony's body radiated._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony made a sound in his throat, that was comforting, as he lowered himself on an armchair. The magpie still in his embrace, he picked up his phone with one hand then he texted the Avengers group-chat, _'I'm a fucking bird experts,' _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Loki left the next morning, after the storm was over, before Tony woke. Last night was... a moment of weakness, Loki told himself. They stayed like that on the armchair until they both fell asleep.  
He normally wouldn't crawl (or in this case; fly) to an enemy's doorstep (in this case; window) for comfort and shelter. But it was raining cats and dogs, and he was cold. Which should be ridiculous considering his Jotun heritage, but he was cold still and he needed a shelter._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He could go to Thor, sure, but Loki wasn't ready to face Thor, even if, in a body of a bird, Thor wouldn't know it was him. Tony's window was open, so he just... did what he had to do to survive._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He perched on a tree, watching the sun come up above the horizon and Thor leave his house for a council meeting. Thor still looked sad, and that made something in Loki's chest ache, topped with the longing to go to Thor and tell him he was here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________But he... couldn't. Thor was better off without him. It was for Thor's own good._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Thor was watering his plants in the garden when he felt himself being watched. (And really, with how often it rained here, watering plants was nothing but an excuse to keep his mind occupied, because Thor was afraid to be alone with his own thoughts; it kept going back to all that he had lost, all that'd never come back to him again, and it was terrifying)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Thor looked up and there was a magpie perched on a tree nearby. There was something about its eyes that drew Thor in, its eyes; they looked so... familiar. And for a moment, Thor almost — just almost — said his brother's name. The word was caged behind his teeth in time. No, it couldn't be... Loki. Just a wishful thinking._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The bird chirped and cocked its head slightly to the left, holding eye contact with the Thunder God._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"What do you want?" Thor asked aloud, his voice perhaps a little bit too harsh._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________The bird chirped again. Almost like it understood and was talking with him._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Go away," Thor said. "I'm not in the mood for this,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It did fly away, but not without lingering on for a while, almost like it was hesitating. Thor groaned and went back to watering his garden._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________It was raining again that night, and the tree Loki chose as his so-called shelter did nothing at sheltering his body from the cold, the pouring rain or the wind. He was shivering, and was positive he was going to fall ill soon enough.  
(He had always been prone to illness ever since he was a child. It didn't go away when he reached adolescent, it — the tendency to fall ill — followed him to his adulthood and stayed even when he took an animal form)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Tony Stark still hadn't left, the thought popped up in his head like a flicker of hope spreading through his body. Tony welcomed him last night, and even if Loki left without a goodbye the following morning, he doubted Tony actually took offense._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________His pride, however, screamed savagely in protest. He was a god. He never begged, never cried for help._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He needed it. It was... still better than freezing to death. (And Loki had experienced death. The pressure of the gauntlet-covered hand closing in around his throat until his lungs burnt and his eyes bled. He was trying not to ever think about that. He still had nightmares every night, or to be more precise, every time he closed his eyes he saw Thanos, saw himself struggling in the Titan's hold; legs kicking aimlessly in the air, clawing fruitlessly at the hand strangling him until life slipped away no matter how hard he clung onto it. Then he was back, pulled by some force and then he opened his eyes to the world five years later. He never had the courage to actually reveal himself to Thor, even if he always stuck around in New Asgard as a magpie)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Loki shivered harder, he figured it no longer had something to do with the cold but as a result of yet another sudden flashback. Although tonight the storm was too heavy for him to fly, he supposed he had to do something about his current situation, if he didn't wish to freeze to death here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________A knock on his front door got Tony out of his bed. He was well on his way to drifting off when it started. At first Tony thought it was the storm, though it had... rhythm, so it couldn't actually be the wind. He barely heard it at all since the rambling of the sky swallowed every other noise, but he heard it nonetheless._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He yanked the front door open, already shielding his face with his hand from the rain immediately assaulting his skin. There was no one there. Or, there was no one there until Tony looked down at the floor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________A magpie from last night. Tony was sure it was the same magpie, it was shivering and was in a pretty bad shape._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Jesus," Tony murmured, for a moment not knowing what to do. But he couldn't just close the door and leave it there, either._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He picked the bird up, and retracted back into the safety and comfort of the cottage._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Tony dried its feather with the same towel from last night before cocooning it in layers of cloth to keep it warm. Something about its not protesting suggested it might be in a worse condition than Tony suspected, and that concerned Tony in a way he didn't understand how.  
He shouldn't.... care this much about a strange, random bird._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I'll see if I can take you downtown to the vet," Tony said. "Tomorrow. For tonight, try to stay alive for me, got it?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He slept on his bed with the magpie in a basket in the same room, a makeshift cradle._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Loki didn't leave the next morning like he did last time he was here. He meant to. Though he was just... simply not feeling well; his head was killing him and he had a bad fever, too. Looked like he fell ill again after spending his time out in the rain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________His magic wavered within him, that Loki could feel. Thus maintaining his body as a magpie took a lot of energy and concentration, which were something he was struggling to grab; his energy was weak and concentrating on anything meant he was making his headache worse. So he thought, with Tony seemingly being a late riser, he was safe being in his Aesir skin for at least a couple of hours before Tony would wake up._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________And he was hungry, too. Being a bird didn't exactly mean he got three full-of-nutrition meals per day._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________He lost track of time, apparently. Forgetting he should transform back into the magpie and leave until it was too late. Tony stopping at the doorway to the kitchen, and Loki knew he was fucked._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"Hello, Anthony Stark," he smiled, an empty cup of pudding — in which he found from his rifling through the refrigerator — still on the tabletop in front of him, his voice hoarse, but that was mostly the flu. His nose and cheeks had a slight tint of red which, too, was the result of the sickness, and so were his sunken eyes. "Looks like you caught me in the act. Surprise,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"So that was you." Tony sounded pissed after Loki reluctantly told him everything, and Loki knew he couldn't exactly hold it against him. (After all, it took quite a lot of convenience to assure Tony he wasn't here to kill him, that he would've already done it in Tony's sleep, if his intention were ill) "That was you all along, the bird."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Loki shrugged. They both seated in the kitchen still. "I could be something else, other animal. But I suppose you wouldn't have reacted so kindly to my asking for a place to stay, should I were to take a body of a spider or a cockroach. Midgardians tend to react poorly to those creatures,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"But why?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"I just told you why. Magpies are... decent, in human's eyes. You welcomed me,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________"No, you know what I'm talking about," there was sharpness in Tony's voice._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Loki gulped and was silence for a moment. He knew what Tony was talking about._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________" _He's _miserable, and you know it. He — he gave you a freaking funeral, Loki. He thinks you're dead. We all think you're dead! Is this... some kind of a game you play? To mess with your brother?"___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"No," Loki said. He averted his eyes. "It's not a game,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Then why didn't you come back to Thor?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Thor deserves... better," Loki said at last. There was something in his voice that sounded like bitterness and pain._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"I'm sorry, I don't understand the hell you're talking about,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"I was dead before, Stark. Before the Statesman, I've been dead twice. Each time Thor mourned me and then I reappeared in his life." Loki wasn't sure why he was telling Tony this. But he'd never spoken about the matter to anyone, and to finally let it all out... it felt like he should let it out. "I can see it in his eyes that, sure, Thor's happy to see me, but he's also tired. And I was thinking to myself, 'how long can we keep doing this?' Thor mourns me, which I'm honored, but he's better off without me. He will... move on, in the end, he'll move on."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"Don't you think that's a little bit cruel, even for you? To keep him in the dark, let him mourn and continue believing you're dead," Tony worded it carefully. Loki looked like he was fighting back his sobbing, even though his eyes were already getting teary._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"I'm doing this for him," he said, still wouldn't look Tony in the eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"You do realize that I can just go straight to knock on your brother's door and tell him you're alive, don't you?" Tony wished he hadn't said that aloud the moment he'd said it aloud. If Loki was looking for a reason to kill him..._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________But Loki didn't look hostile. If anything he looked tired, tired and ill, and when Tony mentioned his telling Thor about him he thought he saw the beginning of panic somewhere in Loki's eyes._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________"I would ask that you... don't do that," Loki said, now looking at Tony. Thus Tony saw the desperation in his eyes, they were... almost begging. "Please," Loki added, and Tony was having a hard time processing the fact _the _Loki had just begged him. "I don't expect you to understand, but I'm doing this for my brother. Please,"___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Tony was wordless at that. He'd never seen Loki beg. He didn't think Loki was the type of person who begged. And there was that desperation in his eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it. Then he finally spoke after it looked like Loki was going to panic, the longer the silence between them went on. "Fine," Tony said, "Fine, I won't tell him. But I still think you should,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki looked... relieved. "Thank you," he said, just a faint whisper that was cut off by his having a coughing fit. (Then Tony remembered Loki being sick last night. He still looked like shit, it was worse when he was back to himself because like this, Tony could see how ill he looked)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Are you okay?" He asked, offering Loki a glass of water in which Loki took after a moment's hesitation._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I'll be fine," Loki said, then added with a wry chuckle, "This happens... a lot. But I'll heal, probably in a day. I recover faster than Midgardians. Though I just need some rest,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Right," Tony nodded. Then, without thinking (because he probably didn't offer it at all, if he were to give it a thought) he blurted out. "You can stay here. Take the bed. I'll be out for most parts of the day anyway, and it's warmer in here. Valkyrie offered me a tour, but don't worry, I won't run my mouth."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki looked at him like he was growing a second head. He was quiet for a long while that Tony thought he was going to turn it down. But then Loki nodded and said in a quiet voice, "That'd be nice. Thank you,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Tony kept his promise and never spoke a word to Loki's brother or anybody else, in which Loki was grateful. He knew Thor was Tony's friend, and the fact Tony kept the secret Loki asked of him couldn't be easy. He also let Loki stay in the cottage, in here it was warmer than being out there._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________But the truth was, he missed Thor. He missed Thor a lot he'd probably rather die than to admit. And Thor was so close yet so far away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"For what it's worth," Tony trailed off during dinner. "I know what it feels to mourn someone you loved very dearly. I lost my parents,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki halted his motion at that, his hands still around the silverware, the bowl of untouched broth in front of him. He didn't look up to meet Tony's eyes, but he could feel Tony looking at him from across the table._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I was still an idiot kid, but I still think about them to this day. And you know what, it didn't get better. You just... occupy yourself with something to keep you busy, but the pain never goes away. So if I could, I'd do anything for a chance to see them just one more time. I can only speak for myself, but I believe your brother loves you very dearly and he'll never get tired of seeing you come back to him,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki didn't respond. He didn't dare make eye contact with Tony, and suddenly the urge to boil was there. He sat very still._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Anyway," Tony went on in a more cheerful tone, "That broth's gonna get cold. Trust me, you want it while it's still warm,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Thor was getting ready for bed when he heard a knock at his bedroom window, which was... weird to say the least. He looked and was more surprised to see a magpie there, pecking the glass with its beak, its wing fluttering. It looked more alert when it saw it got Thor's attention._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What the..." Thor murmured to himself as he approached the window. The bird was clearly trying to get inside. "I've seen you before," Thor said, louder, now standing in front of the window, though he still hadn't opened it. He was positive it was the same magpie he saw that day and, if he were to be honest, he'd been having the feelings of himself being followed for quite a while._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________He'd seen the magpie before, more than once, he was sure of. It looked like the bird was always around, but never really getting close, until now._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"What do you want?" Thor asked, his hand rested on the glass._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The magpie shrieked. It almost looked like it wanted to tell Thor something._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Carefully, Thor's hand reached for the lock. He didn't know why, but something about the magpie -- its eyes -- felt so familiar. Thor opened the window and the bird flew in right away._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It landed on the nightstand, hopped around until it was facing Thor._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The window closed behind Thor back, and never once had Thor broken eye contact with the creature now resided in his chamber. "Do I... know you?" Thor asked, and was aware he was talking to a bird._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________It chirped, then it seemed to notice something on Thor's desk that got its attention. It shrieked, fluttering its wing around, and before Thor could react, it flew to Loki's helmet sitting on the desk, with its tiny feet curling around the object to keep balance._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Hey!" Thor cried. "Back off, that's my brother's!"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________The magpie shrieked again. When it next flew it landed on the ground. And Thor entirely forgot what he was about to say when green light flashed across its body. Then he utterly, momentarily, forgot how to breathe when the bird turned into a man... then it felt like the world either stopped turning altogether, or spun too fast, when... Loki. Loki was here._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Thor was looking at Loki now standing in front of him. Loki, alive and breathing._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I didn't know," Loki said, "That you keep my helmet,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Loki..." Thor was saying. He looked like he saw a ghost, or perhaps that was the case, Thor wouldn't know... because Loki was dead. But Loki had also been dead before, and Loki was a shapeshifter. "Are you... are you real?" His voice shook, and Thor felt like his knees were going to give out at any second._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I suppose I am," Loki said, he gave Thor a somewhat forced smile like he didn't know if Thor was going to be angry at him for faking his death yet again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________(But Loki never faked his death. He had been dead, then resurrected, but Thor didn't know that, did he? Loki doubted it mattered when the result stayed the same; Thor mourned him and here he came back to Thor's life again)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"But how?"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki shrugged, he looked somewhat small and vulnerable. He couldn't exactly tell how either, he was dead, or so he believed, but then he was back just like those who turned into dust. For a moment Loki thought Thor was going to be mad he couldn't answer Thor's question. So he was caught off guard when Thor crossed the spaces between them and, in a flash, wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Doesn't matter," Thor said, head rested on Loki's shoulder. "Doesn't matter how. You're here. You're back, Loki, you're back," it took Loki this long to realise Thor was crying. Thor never cried before until Loki's death, until the funeral, and here Thor was crying on his shoulder, hugging him tight like he'd never let go. "I thought I lost you forever,"_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki went rigid at Thor's outright affection for half a minute, but then he began to relax in Thor's embrace, his hands, too, slowly went up to hug back._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"I'm sorry," Loki said, for what he didn't know, but he was making Thor cry._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________"Don't," Thor cut him off between his own sobbing, "Don't be. You're back, that's all that matters."_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki let his brother's words sink in. They both stayed like that like time didn't matter, like nothing else would ever matter again as long as they were together._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Loki hugged Thor just a little bit tighter before burying his face in the crock of Thor's neck. He allowed a drop of tear to run down his face in the comfort of him finally being home again._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> If you folks want more of me, I am also available on [Tumblr.](http://bebx.tumblr.com/) Come chat. The inbox is open there.


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